MEDIA reports said over 100 workers of a garment factory fell sick after drinking water from internal supply line of the factory in Konabari industrial area in Gazipur district. They were sent to several local hospitals and clinics for emergency treatment. Police said the workers started their work at the factory in the morning and later during the day time they instantly fell sick one after another and started vomiting. The reports added that the workers were also suffering from abdominal pain and headache. As more people drank from the same source, the number of sick workers increased.
It is a known fact that employees’ productivity depends on their health and working environment and it suffers setback by high levels of stress at work-place. When workers fall ill due to bad working environment and such other factors at a factory, it only shed light on how carelessly the RMG sector treats its workers. The unfortunate thing is that, no one is doing anything productive to make it substantially better, to stop happening things that would damages the image the country and the RMG sector in particular.
Just last month, 40 workers fell sick due to eating contaminated food at a factory in Narayanganj and this has occurred many times where RMG employees were given water to drink from factory supply line. RMG sector workers suffer from low paid jobs and often work in risky environment. They must have hygienic food from factory canteen and pure drinking water which they can’t afford to buy. It is sad to note that workers are falling sick from drinking contaminated water and the factory management is enjoying immunity from being questioned and punished for lack of care.
In today’s competitive global environment, caring employee is the number one issue to remain in business and increase the productivity to produce quality apparels for buyers. Employers in the RMG sector must strictly adhere to safety issues that includes food and health protection along with protection from fire and dilapidated work-place. The issue also must be routinely watched by monitoring agents so that workers safety remain on top of everything.
In our view the water poisoning must be investigated and the supply line must be protected from poisonous chemicals contamination of garment factories. Vigilance must continue without gap.
